City Council approves pursuit of grant funding for police department from DOJ

TYLER — The Tyler City Council has approved a resolution granting the Tyler Police Department permission to apply for and accept (if selected) a grant for funding from the U.S. Department of Justice not to exceed $34,000. The funding would be used to purchase equipment for the police department to support crime scene investigations. The department will pursue a grant request to the DOJ under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant for fiscal year of 2022-2023. The money would be used to purchase a Leica Laser Scanner and all accessories associated with forensics investigations.

“With this additional equipment, our forensic investigators will have the ability to develop more timely scene diagrams and presentations with more precise and accurate measurements,” said Police Chief Jimmy Toler in a news release. “This gives the officers the ability to capture crime scene evidence faster, more safely and in greater detail to create digital representations of incidents. It also provides a better way of gathering deliverables for court officials with the possibility of bringing more cases to justice.”